Best time for the Great Migration in Tanzania

Are you planning a safari to see the great migration in the Serengeti? To watch animals crossing the river in Tanzania, or do you want to see thousands of wildebeest babies in the green fields of the South Serengeti? That’s why we like to inform you about the best time for the great migration in Tanzania.

Feel free to contact us first for the best time and route for your safari. Please have a look at our example itineraries.

We are happy to plan the trip of your life to try and see the migration in the Serengeti live!

The wildebeest migration calendar for Tanzania and Kenia

Nowhere in the world is there a mass movement of animals as immense as this one. Hundreds of thousands, especially wildebeest and zebra, move in an annual pattern over the plains. This is somewhat predictable as they migrate looking for fresh grazing and water. However, the precise timing of the migration depends on the rainfall each season.

One of the highlights is the famous crossing. Millions of animals try to cross the Mara River ALIVE while crocodiles lie in wait!

Watching and waiting to catch the drama of a crossing is an experience that you will never forget!

For a quick view of the migration of the wildebeest in Tanzania and an actual live feed, you can have a look at HerdTrackerWildebeest Migration Live Feed.

Annual movement of animals in the Serengeti

Based on rainfall and historic data this schedule gives an indication of the migration movements:

January – March:
South Serengeti & Ngorongoro Conservation Area (calving season second half of February/March): the best time to see the young calves on the green plains.

April – May:
Central & Western Serengeti

June – July:
Western Serengeti & Northern Serengeti

July – September:
Northern Serengeti & Masai Mara

October – December:
Masai Mara & Eastern/South Serengeti

The best time to watch the river crossing: July- October

Please have a look at all our sample safaris

Mila Everstova

2022-12-22

Amazing safari It was an unforgettable adventure. Warren fulfilled my dream and we managed to see all the animals up close. He is a very good guide and driver. My trip was wonderful and I felt safe with Warren. Thanks! Recommend👍🏻

Remo S

2022-11-27

Christopher organized the perfect safari One of the most beautiful and impressive trips we have ever made!We spend twelve beautiful days with Christopher and Jaffed from “I dream of Afrika” on a wildlife and cultural safari in Tanzania. The safari was perfectly organized by Christopher, who diligently included all our preferences and wishes in a well-rounded and exciting tour, balancing the excitement of enjoying one of the planet’s wildest and spectacular nature with unique personal encounters with locals and time for relaxation. With his experience of many years as guide and ranger, Christopher knows all the special places, is great at spotting animals and willingly shares his vast knowledge about them. Christopher even organized walking safaris with rangers at two of the parks, which is a treat not many tourists do, offering fascinating insights not observable from the backseat of a car. We also enjoyed hunting with the Hadza bushmen tribe and the spontaneous visit to the stunning Oluvai gorge, which Christopher made possible.During the Safari, we decided to stay on public campsites and enjoyed it a lot. The tent was quadruple the size of our tent back home, with comfy mattresses and great views.Jaffed was a great personal cook and kept us well fed with amazing pancakes and his love for italian food, but also amazing local dishes. We also won't forget our visit to the local food market and the Ugali-cooking lessons.We loved learning bits of Swahili from Christopher and Jaffed and to learn from them about Tanzania's complex cultures and traditions.Overall, we can wholeheartedly recommend Dreams of Africa. The well-organized experience of nature, wildlife and culture in Tanzania surpassed all our expectations. We will never forget the amazing time with Jaffed and Christopher.

Imke D

2022-10-15

Christopher and his team are punctual, knowledgeable and welcoming Our time in Tanzania with Christopher, Japhet and Warren was amazing. The trip was tailored to our wishes. We did a 10-day trip and visited Serengeti North & Central, Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire and Loiborsoit (an off the beaten track Maasai village). Communication beforehand and during the trip was great. The food in the bush was great, Japhet excelled every day. Tanzania is an expensive country for tourists, mostly due to the high costs of the National Parks. The camping experience was great and greatly reduced the price compared to lodging. It was quite adventurous, so read up on what to expect. But in our opinion, it was the purest way to enjoy the beautiful nature. Loiborsoit was very special: we stayed in a guesthouse with good beds and hot water. Outside of the guesthouse, you'll experience the actual way of living of the Maasai. Our local guide, Lengai, left us with lifelong impressions. If you want to spend some days with the Maasai of Loiborsoit to learn about their culture, experience their way of living and enjoy their kindness, please visit and support them! You can find more information on massailand.com

Steffen

2022-09-26

Faszinierende Safari-Reise Wir hatten das große Glück mit Christopher unsere Safari - Rundreise machen zu dürfen. Die guten Bewertungen sind zu 100% gerechtfertigt. Super herzlicher und sympathischer Guide. Von Reiseplanung bis hin zur Reise selbst - alles perfekt. Wir können Christopher, als lokalen, ortsansässigen Safari-Anbieter, wärmstens weiterempfehlen!

Kyra G

2022-07-05

Wonderful The most magical adventure one could wish for 🦁 Christophers knowledge of the wilderness, the animals is incredible. He will help you see more than the big five and you will feel the wonders of true nature.We felt very connected to planet earth,safe and taken care of and we had so so much fun :))) Everything was just perfect 😊This experience will stay unforgettable and we dream of Africa all the time! Thank you Chris our friend🙏You are the best and we love you Jean and Kyra ❣️

Mariam W

2022-06-11

The trip was amaizing I had a good experience and i would like to tell people who would like to go and enjoy themselves, I had a nice time a lot of laughter I advice more people to try this experience

Eveline B

Unforgettable adventure The most memorable safari I had was made possible by I dream of Africa Safaris.The best services offered from the online booking, airport pickup, accommodation and the best of all my safari to the Serengeti plains.Would actually say it was the most memorable adventures with the best tour guide to lead the way.

Nancy N

My experience was astonishing Well… I really enjoyed the trip it was a fun and good experience to me, I had a chance to see different animals and the tour itself was astonishing, I wish more people knew and tried to experience what I did

Zbigniew Wlodarczyk

2021-07-18

Best choice for safari !!!! Perfect safari with Christopher. Excellent safari guide and from now - a friend. If you expect an unforgettable time, go with him without any hesitation !!!I had no previous experience with I DREAM OF AFRICA, just reviews on Tripadvisor and testimonials on their web page. All of them exceptionally positive. I preferred to go with local company instead of large, international operator, mostly to support local business, affected by COVID pandemia. So I did, and it was a perfect choice. From the very first moment, when Chris and his son Warren met us at the Arusha airport, to the last farewell, with tears in our eyes. Christopher, founder and boss of the I DREAM OF AFRICA (small, family run) looked after our group far, far beyond our expectations. His eye for wild animals was fantastic - he spotted the cheetah from 500 meters away ! He, his son Warren, co-guide Ombene, chief Japhet, with his aid, did really perfect job. Food was excellent, tents comfortable and in mint condition. You can relay on Christopher's knowledge of the national parks and places to find the animals. In fact, we saw all Big Five - hundreds of elephants and even witnessed the miracle of the elephant giving birth !!!I would be more than happy to provide any further information and to act as his ambassadeur. Chris and your partners - thank you for all you kindness, profesionalism and efforts. Zbigniew Wlodarczyk, Poland

Lisa L

2020-02-12

Fantastic African Safari - They made OUR African dream come true! We took a 13 day Safari with I Dream of Africa who designed/delivered exactly what we wanted: an authentic experience, a mix of tent lodges and camping, cultural opportunities, exploring 5 national parks(Arusha, Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti). We spent 2 days @ Kiboko lodge, 8 days nature camping in the parks, and 2 days @ Kati Kati Mara mobile tent lodge. Our knowledable guide, Ombeni, was an experienced driver and skilled animal spotter. We saw everything from elephants to dung beetles! We visited the Watoto Foundation/Child of the Star and Sky projects that rescue street boys, provide a multi-year program to house, educate and prepare them for jobs in carpentry, mechanics, and other vocations. We visited a Maasai tribe. Our cook Alex prepared fresh, delicious meals for us and made camp feel like home. During a night safari we saw bush babies, porcupines and hippos! We spent 6-9 hours on game drives each day. Ombeni was determined to have us witness part of the wildebeest migration, and we did! A spectacular event with lions, crocodiles and vultures all waiting to prey upon the thousands of wildebeests! We watched them gather for hours and then suddenly make their daring crossing of the Mara River right before our eyes! A "fly out" at the end of our journey enabled us to get a breathtaking view of the Tanzanian wilderness! I Dream of Africa exceeded all expectations, provided excellent PERSONALIZED service and made our African Safari dream come true!